2 Men Arrested in Cocaine Seizure

After a three-month undercover investigation, Ventura County narcotics detectives Tuesday arrested two men suspected of dealing cocaine and confiscated more than $200,000 worth of the drug.

Manuel Enrique Soto, 41, of Santiago, Chile, and Gary Mitchell Gram, 37, of Woodland Hills were arrested Tuesday evening at Gram’s home, authorities said. The men are suspected of dealing drugs in Ventura County.

Using Gram as an unsuspecting middleman, undercover detectives had arranged to buy cocaine from Soto, said Sgt. Gary Pentis, head of the narcotics unit in the East County Station of the Sheriff’s Department.

When Soto, a suspected wholesale dealer, arrived at Gram’s home, detectives and sheriff’s deputies swooped in and made the arrests, Pentis said. The two suspects tried to flee through a closed screen door, he said, but were stopped by detectives.

A search revealed about 4 1/2 pounds of cocaine, half a pound of marijuana, a loaded .44-caliber magnum revolver and about $14,000 in cash, according to authorities. The cash will be confiscated by the department, Pentis said.

The two suspects were booked into Ventura County Jail on suspicion of cocaine trafficking. Their bail is set at $500,000 and each could face as many as nine years in prison if convicted, Pentis said.

“This is what happens to dealers,” he said. “One minute you’re living well, at the top of your game, and the next you’re in jail.”